M48 Patton tank
| M48 Patton | |
|---|---|
M48 Patton on display in Thun, Switzerland
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|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1953—1990s (United States) |
| Wars |
1958 Lebanon crisis Portuguese Colonial War Vietnam War Six-Day War Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Yom Kippur War Western Sahara War Lebanese Civil War Turkish invasion of Cyprus Iran–Iraq War Battle of Mogadishu (1993) Turkey–PKK conflict 2007 Lebanon conflict |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | M48: Chrysler, Fisher Body, Ford Motor Company, American Locomotive Company |
| Produced | M48: 1952—1959 |
| No. built | M48: ≈12,000 |
| Variants | Many, see the variants section |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | M48: 49.6 short tons (44.3 long tons; 45.0 t) combat ready |
| Length | 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in) |
| Width | 3.65 m (12 ft 0 in) |
| Height | 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) |
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|
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| Armor | Upper Glacis: 110 mm (4.3 in) at 60° = 220 mm (8.7 in) LoS Turret Front: 178 mm (7.0 in) at 0° |
|
Main
armament |
90 mm T54; M48A3 90 mm gun M41; M48A5 and later variants: 105 mm M68 gun |
|
Secondary
armament |
.50 cal (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun .30 cal (7.62 mm) M73 Machine gun |
| Engine |
Continental AVSI-1790-6 V12, air-cooled Twin-turbo gasoline engine (early M48s) 810 SAE gross hp = 650 DIN hp (478 kW) 750 hp (560 kW) |
| Power/weight | 16.6 hp (12.4 kW)/tonne |
| Transmission | General Motors CD-850-4A or -4B, 2 ranges forward, 1 reverse |
| Suspension | Torsion bar suspension |
| Fuel capacity | 200 US gal (760 l; 170 imp gal) |
|
Operational
range |
M48 and M48A1 113 km, M48A2 258 km, M48A3 463 km, M48A5 499 km (all on road) |
| Speed | M48A5: 30 mph (48 km/h) |
Continental AVSI-1790-6 V12, air-cooled Twin-turbo gasoline engine (early M48s) 810 SAE gross hp = 650 DIN hp (478 kW)
The M48 Patton is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed in the United States. It was the third tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle. It was a further development of the M47 Patton tank. The M48 Patton was in U.S. service until replaced by the M60 and served as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps's primary battle tank in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, especially other NATO countries.
The M48 Patton tank was designed to replace the previous M47 Pattons and M4 Shermans. Although largely resembling the M47, the M48 was a completely new design. It was the last U.S. tank to mount the 90 mm tank gun, with the last model, the M48A5, being upgraded to carry the new standard weapon of the M60, the 105mm gun. Some M48A5 models served well into the 1980s with American forces, and many M48s remain in service in other countries. The Turkish Army has the largest number of modernized M48 MBTs, with more than 1,400 in its inventory. Of these, around 1,000 have been phased out, placed in storage, or modified as ARVs.
On 27 February 1951, OTCM (Ordnance Technical Committee Minutes) #33791 initiated the design of the new tank, designated the 90mm Gun Tank T-48 (the prefix letter "T" would be replaced by the prefix "X" beginning with the M60 series tank). A deeper modernization than the M46 and the M47, the M48 featured a new hemispherical turret, a redesigned hull, and an improved suspension. The hull machine gunner position was removed, reducing the crew to four. On 2 April 1953, OTCM order #34765 standardized the last of the Patton series tanks as the 90mm Gun Tank M48 Patton.
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